The Return (2020) Movie Script
1
- Mommy.
- How's my beautiful girl?
Rodger has my pinwheel.
Boys don't play
with pinwheels.
Rodger.
Amelia, come keep mommy company
while she does
some calculations.
Rodger, I'll come
check on you in a bit.
Rodger, boys don't
play with pinwheels.
Rodger.
Hey.
We've got a long
drive ahead of us.
If we wanna make it to
Pritchard before nightfall,
we've gotta leave soon.
Jordan's packing the car.
Yeah.
Okay, guys, keep your
eyes open for a gas station
'cause I need fuel
in the form of like
five to 10 pepperoni sticks.
Well, I think you
are out of luck.
I'm pretty sure there
is no gas station
between here and my house.
Well, how about a
couple road rockets, huh?
Beer me, Beth.
What?
Beer me.
We don't have any beer.
Beer him too, 'cause
he just crushed two weeks
of homework since Westport.
- That is true.
- And Jordan,
- we don't have any beer.
- It's a hot day.
And you know what sounds
great on a hot day?
- An IPA.
- Is this a bit right now?
Is she doing a bit because
like we don't have any beer,
let alone an IPA.
Well, look at this
there's a gas station.
So, that's fortuitous.
Now we're talking.
Yeah, go ahead and get
your pepperoni sticks.
Think they have IPA?
They
probably have IPA.
Hey, babe,
can I give you a hand?
Nah, it's okay.
Jordan's got it.
Already on it.
Welcome to my humble abode.
Hm, my abode.
Same thing.
Yeah, pretty much, actually.
This is all yours now, hey?
Yeah, I guess.
I haven't seen the will, but.
You're right.
They should probably have
left the house to me.
I'm thinking if we put
the jacuzzi right here
in the living room
that'd be really nice
and that's kind of like what
your dad would have wanted.
Yeah, I'm pretty
sure you're right.
Hey, I just
realized something.
We are orphan buddies now, huh?
Hm?
No?
Anyone hungry?
- Always.
- Yes.
You guys
want some sandwiches?
Eh.
So, did your dad,
- did it happen here?
- I don't know.
I'll ask the lawyer when I
go meet him in the morning.
So, it could've happened here.
Or in the living
room or his bedroom.
Oh, where are we sleeping?
'Cause I am not
sleeping in his bed.
Oh, good point.
I don't really wanna
sleep in there either.
Look, we will take my room,
you can have Amelia's old room.
It's still setup?
Yeah, my mom wouldn't let
us touch it after she died.
It might be a little dusty, but.
I can handle
dusty, that's fine.
It's just the creepy factor
I've got a little bit
of a problem with.
Well, then I think
you're fresh outta beds.
Great, I will take the couch.
Unless you guys had
like a family dog
that went teets up on it?
Jordan, thanks for coming.
No place I would rather be.
Oh, thank you.
I will eat all of these
sandwiches to myself.
Beth, I just
wanted to thank you.
Oh, you don't have
to thank me, Rodg.
I know, but you
were excited for me
to meet your parents
over spring break.
Oh, there'll be plenty of
time to go to Hartford later.
I know, but I was
so looking forward
to throwing the pigskin
around with your dad.
- Oh, were you?
- Touchdowns.
- Mm hm.
- Yeah.
- Right.
- Absolutely.
Totally.
Sorry, clearly Jordan and I
have similar coping mechanisms.
Yeah, you do except
Jordan copes 24/7.
That's very true.
Sorry, it's just a weird time.
It's okay.
I get it.
And
yonder, I think he heels.
Not only in place of the final,
but maybe as well.
It's a new Stafford,
the connection-
And yonder, I think he heels.
Not only in place of the final,
but maybe as well.
Great.
If any of you dolls decide
to get up in the middle night
and crawl into bed with me,
I will twist your heads
off like bottle caps.
Consider yourself warned.
No.
No.
When is the
funeral service then?
Monday, 1:00 p.m.
at St. Michaels.
I'll clear my schedule.
Oswald was a good man.
He was a good friend.
He loved you very much.
I know.
You know he told me
once that he thought
you were smarter than
both him and your mother.
That's saying something.
He wouldn't have been surprised
if you graduated high school
two or three years early.
Yeah, well, I didn't.
Okay, well, I can get into
whatever specifics you'd like,
but to give you the gist of it,
he left everything to you;
a house, everything in it.
He'd accumulated quite
a substantial nest egg-
- Sorry, do you know what
happened to him, specifically?
The hospital said heart
attack, but he wasn't even 50.
All I know is
that they found him
at the top of the stairs
outside Amelia's room.
When we last spoke he did
seem distracted though.
He was almost manic.
And what do you mean by that?
He was very agitated.
He mentioned he had
discovered something.
But I didn't realize he
was that out of sorts.
No.
No, I don't think anyone did.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You know, if I knew that
your dad didn't have any porn
I would have gone to Fort
Lauderdale with the Tri-Lambs.
But don't worry, I took
care of that for you.
You're welcome.
Nice shirt, you look good.
I bet Max could not keep
his hands off of you.
All right, so
you want me to take
a look for the power
cord for the laptop?
Already charging.
That was fast.
Gotta find Ozzie's stash.
And that was gross.
You know where Beth is?
Uh, upstairs probably.
All right, I think that is
where I will be for a while.
Bye.
Hey.
Hey, what's up?
I was just talking
to my parents.
How'd it go?
It's fine, it was all right.
Oh.
I should have come with you.
No, no, don't sweat it.
The funeral's gonna be Monday.
Okay.
So, did you get the house?
Yeah.
Are you gonna keep it?
Maybe.
I mean, I'd be lying if
I said I hadn't thought
of some upgrades I would make.
Oh, you should
work on the drafts
because your sister's bedroom
door like shut super hard
and scared the shit out of me.
- Really?
- Yeah.
All right, we can
move rooms if you want.
No, no, no.
No, I like it in here.
All right.
Come on.
I'll be, uh,
I'll be right down.
Okay.
I am so sorry, Rodger.
It's just the two of us now.
So, we're gonna have to take
care of each other, okay?
Oh, no.
- Beth!
- Oh, God.
I found a photo
album and if you think
that Rodger is
strange looking now,
just you wait till you
see the preteen version.
I was born ready.
- Aw, so weird looking.
- Looks like a cute kid.
- Weird looking guy.
- It's cute!
You remember what
we did in there?
Stop it.
- Please.
- Mm hm.
Okay.
You throw it away.
Toss it.
Okay, let
me see these photos.
- Coffees.
- Thank you, ooh.
Thanks.
Aw.
You're so cute!
- Oh, he's not weird looking.
- Oh, God.
- Right?
- You're so cute.
Nothing strange about
that kid, look at that.
- No, just, just the face.
- Nothing.
Oh, look at that
littler super hero.
- Is that the basement?
- Yep.
I have never been down there.
My mom always said
it was off limits.
I mean, Amelia and I always
snuck down and played scientist.
So, I remember this one
time we got spanked so bad
'cause we messed up one
of my mom's equations.
She'd been working on
it for like months.
I think the only reason
she invited us down
in the lab this time was
because she just won a grant.
Wanted a photo of
the happy family
in front of her life's work.
Wait, is that a
head back there?
Yeah, Rodger's mom
collected severed heads.
Like she was a serial killer.
- Jordan.
- Beth?
Stop.
Well, she killed one person,
so I guess technically not a
serial killer, just a killer.
Amelia, take your
arms out please.
Thank you.
Okay, everybody say cheese.
Cheese!
All right, Rodger.
Your mom's been
gone for six years.
I think it's time for
a little catharsis.
Eh?
To the lab!
You guys trying to hide the
Ark of the Covenant in here?
I mean, it's a good plan.
Put it amongst all of this junk.
What's this for?
I don't know.
I'd have to spend
some time with it.
My mom was like
a physics genius.
- So are you.
- Oh.
But she did have about
20 years of study
on me when she wrote this.
So, yeah.
What the hell?
What is it, more
physics stuff?
It looks like some
psychiatrist reports on me.
When did you go
to a psychiatrist?
That is a good question.
I have zero memory
of any of this.
It looks like when
I was about eight.
Well, what do the reports say?
Well, I can't tell.
The doctor's
handwriting is horrible.
There's also a ton
of abbreviations.
Looks like around the time
when Amelia died though.
Jordan, do you remember anything
about me going to a shrink?
Jordan?
It's fine.
Jordan?
Seriously?
Ah!
Fuck.
I'm sorry, I had to.
- I'm sorry.
- Geez, Jordan.
Seriously, Jordan?
Beth, wait.
I thought it was funny.
No, I know it was funny.
That was funny, that's funny.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Look, I like Jordan, I do.
You know I do, but
sometimes she just
doesn't know when to stop.
I know, you're right.
Jordan has always been there
for me when no one else was.
- I know.
- There's been a lot of times
in my life I needed
someone to turn to,
and she was always there.
But now you have me.
Yeah and I am very lucky to
have both of you in my life.
What, but only one of us
- will be doing this.
- Oh.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
Oh, fuck.
Oh, my God!
Jesus, what?
- What?
- I saw something,
I thought I, I thought
I saw a shadow.
But.
Uh, would you be referring
to your own shadow?
I don't know, yeah, maybe.
I'm sorry.
- You scared?
- Yeah.
Huh.
What the fuck?
Oh, if this is an
invitation I'm afraid
I'll have to politely decline.
Jordan, did you
uh, sorry did you...
Did I?
Sorry, I thought
I saw something.
Maybe I was just falling
asleep in the shower.
Does that, does that
happen to people?
What do you think you saw?
I thought I saw a
person in there with me
and they starting speaking
with this messed up voice,
and then they disappeared.
It sounds, it
sounds pretty great.
I mean, I would get the voice
thing checked out, but nice.
So, how does it look?
Oh, I don't know.
I doubt these are my only
records from Dr. Henrietta Cox.
It's only a few pages here.
I'm assuming there's
gotta be more.
So, what is she writing about?
Don't know yet.
I'm not that far in,
but I wouldn't mind paying her a visit.
You should.
- Have a good run.
- Bye.
So, I said, listen dude,
this is Tinder not
the Laugh Factory.
Go find somewhere else to
practice your tight five.
Okay.
Poor guy caught you
at the wrong time.
Missed me by
like five minutes.
What are you
guys talking about?
I'm what you would call,
Rodg, how would you put it?
- I wouldn't put it-
- You know what?
Don't, yeah, don't.
I am sexually liberated.
Depending on the slant of the
wind I can be as buttoned up
as Jim Caviezel or as
loose as John Mayer.
That was weird.
Speaking of weird, I
found something strange
on your dad's laptop.
- Uh uh, oh, God no.
- No.
Whatever you found on
there, I don't wanna know.
- No, no!
- I don't wanna know about it.
- I don't wanna know about it.
- No!
Just keep it to yourself.
No, well there were
photos and files,
things that he had been writing
over the past couple years.
- And what's weird about that?
- Right, that's normal.
But I did find a file on
the desktop that's password
protected and I could open
it for you if you wanted.
Well, what
was the name of the file?
That's the thing,
it was called "Rodger"
and it was created right
around the time he died.
That is weird.
- Go for it.
- Cool.
What the hell?
Hey, did you hear that?
- No, what was it?
- Sounded like something fell.
It was probably
just the house settling
or Amelia's door
slamming shut again.
Did you reopen it?
I don't know, I must've.
Or Jordan passed out while
she was going to the bathroom.
- I'm sure it's nothing.
- All right.
Let me in.
Jesus!
What?
Rodg.
I coulda sworn someone
was in bed with us.
You wish.
- No, it-
- Come here.
All right.
Dr. Cox.
- How have you been?
- Oh, great.
Sorry, I, I, I
really have to run.
Bye, Grace.
I'll be right back, I
gotta talk to someone.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dr. Cox.
Can I help you?
You're Dr. Henrietta Cox.
No, sorry.
Sorry.
Dr. Cox, why are
you avoiding me?
I guess Oswald was wrong.
Your father said you blocked
out our sessions completely.
Why didn't you want
me to know who you were?
Decaf?
No, thanks.
And my father was
right by the way.
I don't remember you.
He just had one of your files.
I didn't want you
to know who I was
because I didn't
wanna stir things up.
Your father said you didn't
remember our sessions,
and I wanted to
leave it that way.
I shouldn't have
gone to that funeral,
but we were friends
and colleagues,
and I felt I should say goodbye.
Well, that's just it.
Why don't I have
any memory of you?
Please sit.
Memory repression whether
through natural processes
or otherwise can be
brought on to help forget
negative events one
has experienced.
I know my sister
died, I remember that,
but Dr. Cox, did...
Did I do something horrible?
Not to my knowledge.
Am I schizophrenic?
It was a consideration,
but the first signs
of schizophrenia usually
present themselves
in an individual's 20s, so you
would have been a rare case.
So, what was it?
I didn't get to
do a full analysis.
After a month, your mother
pulled you out of care.
Why did my parents bring
me here in the first place?
You have to
understand you weren't
really very talkative in our-
- Dr. Cox, please.
In simple terms?
You had an imaginary friend.
That's it?
A lot of kids have
imaginary friends.
But, Rodger, not many kids
are scared to death of theirs.
Can I read the
rest of the file?
I gave everything
I had to your father.
I really don't have
a lot to tell you.
I've had a ton of patients in
the last dozen or so years-
- Then just tell
me what you remember.
Just that you didn't
like to go into any room
if you thought she was in there.
Okay, well, which
rooms specifically?
Oh, geez.
Most of them.
I do remember after
one particular day
you couldn't go into
the bathroom anymore.
Rodger, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
- What happened?
- Nothing.
Would you ever
just consider that
it was 'cause my
sister had died?
You started seeing
it before she died.
But you did tell me that the
first time you saw your friend
you were in the backyard
with your sister.
That's my four o'clock.
Okay, you mind if I just
wait outside till it's over?
There's just a couple more
things I wanna talk to you about.
I have to go look after
my aunt, she's very sick.
I'm going to be on
leave indefinitely.
If you don't mind.
Rodger?
Are you home?
Jordan?
Who's there?
Who's there?
Ow!
Beth, are you okay?
Jesus.
What were you doing down here?
What were you doing?
I heard the door slam
and I called your name
and you didn't answer me.
- Sorry, I didn't hear you.
- Obviously.
Well, do you think
it's sprained or-
- No, it's just, it just hurts.
What were you looking for?
I went to Dr. Cox's office.
She told me she gave my
dad the rest of the files,
so I figured maybe
it was, I don't know,
packed up down here somewhere.
What else did she tell you?
Not much, she
doesn't really remember
anything about my case.
But do you wanna
help me look for it?
Well, I'd like to
bandage my wrist first.
- Right, of course-
- And I'm studying
for a biochem midterm, so.
Why, it's in like two weeks.
Because some of us aren't
second generation
Einstein's, Rodger.
There you guys are.
What's going on?
Beth, I can help
you find the bandage.
I got it.
So, trouble in paradise?
No, no, I was
just being stupid.
Sometimes I think I don't listen
to her as much as I should.
Hm.
Some people just aren't
dating material, you know?
Oh, and you are?
I think so.
I've had my share of
relationships, sure.
Yeah, I mean
there's a difference
between dating someone though
and swiping right on
every dude in the state.
I'm gonna go work on
that encryption thing.
Jordan, Jordan,
come on I didn't...
Come on, Jordan.
Jordan, I didn't
mean it like that.
Idiot.
What the hell?
What you doing?
Helping my ungrateful
friend crack an encryption.
For what reason?
I have no idea.
Sounds like a dick.
He is.
I, uh, got you
something though.
- Whirly?
- Yeah.
Where did you find this?
Just one of the
boxes downstairs.
Oh, God.
I thought this was a goner.
I loved this so much.
Hey, I'm sorry
for snapping at you.
I was being an idiot.
Hm, you are an idiot.
What are you doing?
I'm gonna go stay with
a friend for a few days.
Beth, I came up here
to apologize, okay?
You don't...
- Beth?
- Rodg, you lost your sister
and your mom and your dad was
all you had left and Jordan.
And now, with your
dad gone and.
Rodg, I see the way
that you look at her.
At some point a girl's gotta
start believing what she sees.
I don't know what
you think you saw, but-
- Look, I get that this
is a weird time for you.
Okay, I get that.
With your dad, with everything.
I just, I just think I'm gonna
head out for a day or two
and we could both use some
time to collect our thoughts.
Okay, well, I guess I'll see ya.
Yeah.
Hey, mom.
Your father is off
fucking some whore.
Beth just left.
- She left?
- Yep.
Like left, left?
I don't think we're
gonna be seeing her
until school next week.
What happened?
I don't know, I really
don't wanna talk about it.
All right, then
rather than focusing
on the enigma that
is a woman's heart,
why don't we tackle a
more manageable mystery.
If the rest of
your file was here
we would've found it already.
Backwash?
Okay.
Then tell me, where could it be?
Maybe she didn't
tell you the truth
about the rest of the file, hm?
- Dr. Cox?
- Mm hm.
So you think it's still there?
Unless she moved
it after your visit.
I mean, she's out of town.
If she was here then we
could talk to her about it.
Mm hm, but she's not.
So maybe we just
break into her office?
I don't think that's
the best option-
- Listen,
she hasn't been honest
with you from the
very beginning.
So, in my mind there's one way
we're gonna get what we want.
And that's a B and E?
- And that's a B and E.
- Mm hm.
It's fine, it's fine.
I'll do it myself.
Fine.
We will break into her office.
Do it as fast as you can.
Okay, don't rush me.
I think maybe a little
haste would be good.
I don't need haste.
I have wit and...
Bravo.
You're the man.
- Only flashlights in here.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I know.
Seriously?
I said I would
bring a flashlight.
How am I supposed to
know that it's dead?
Check.
You would check.
Just use your phone.
I know, I am.
Do you really think
you wanna go back?
You could just spend the
rest of the break with me
and I'll get you back
to school for Sunday.
No, I really think
that I was wrong.
Jordan is his best
friend and I got jealous.
I know how much
he cares about me,
and I really care about him.
Okay.
Well, if you change your
mind I'm here for you.
She said she was outta town.
She's got meetings
booked all week long.
I guess that sick
aunt of hers just got better.
Hm, a true miracle.
Your file, good sir.
Very well done.
Let's get outta here
before we get caught.
Hey, hey,
hey, that's a good idea.
I think a better idea
would be if we just
like really quickly
shit on her desk.
Who hurt you?
You're so close to
being cool all the time,
but you just never get there.
Hello?
Who's there?
Look, Jordan, this isn't funny.
Rodg?
Seriously?
Harlot.
Who are you?
What are you doing here?
Harlot!
No.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
No, no, no!
No, no!
No!
- Want some wine?
- Yeah, sure.
So, anything else about your
imaginary friend in there?
Yeah, this has got
everything I needed.
And some other stuff.
What is it?
Dr. Cox hypnotized me
to repress my memories.
Hm.
What?
She had a session
with my little sister
a week before she died.
Dr. Cox, we really need to talk.
This is the rest of my file.
I tried to find my sister's,
but it's not in any
of your drawers.
- I should call the police.
- Oh, please, be my guest.
What do you want?
I just wanna hear about
the rest of my sessions,
and now my sister's.
It's best if you just put all
this behind you and move on.
I have.
I'm sorry, you have?
It's just, it was
something like...
Listen, Ozzie and I
thought it would be better-
- Ozzie?
Only my mom called
my dad, Ozzie.
How, how close were you two?
We were.
- You fuck!
- No, you, Rodger,
I know this is upsetting.
Did your husband know about
your relationship with my dad?
Don't!
I want Amelia's file.
I don't have it.
- I burned in.
- Sounds great.
But I can tell you everything,
just please don't do this.
How do I know you're
gonna tell me the truth?
I give you my word.
But with I'm about
to say I don't expect
you to believe me anyway.
Over
the last few days,
some weird things
have been going on.
I swear I keep seeing
someone in the house,
but when I go to check
it out, no one's there.
This is the third time this
week that I've cleaned these up.
Shut it off!
Whoa.
Promise me you won't
talk to anybody about this.
I promise.
Your parents brought
you in to see me
around your eighth birthday.
They said you'd been extremely
agitated for a few days.
That was around the time your
imaginary friend showed up.
Obviously I believed
something else
was causing your anxiety.
But when you talked you would
only talk about your friend
and how that friend was starting
to gravitate towards Amelia.
I figured if I could
get her to admit
that she'd never
really seen your friend
then that might take some
of the pressure off you.
I also got the sense your mom
wasn't the best for you kids.
You must've read
that in the file.
Is that why you only gave
my dad half the folder?
No.
He knew what I thought of her.
I didn't get it
all to him because
I didn't want him
to ask me about it.
What I found with
you and Amelia,
it changes how one
perceives reality.
Could I talk to Amelia
alone for a moment?
She's very pretty.
Thank you.
Amelia, I'd like
to talk to you
about Rodger's imaginary friend.
Who's that?
The woman who's in
your house sometimes.
Debbie?
She's not imaginary.
Rodger's never called
her by a name before.
She's my friend, not Rodger's.
What can you tell
me about Debbie?
We play together.
She doesn't stay
very long though.
Why is Debbie not
Rodger's friend?
I don't know, she just
always want to play with me.
Why do you think that is?
Ask her.
Um, I would-
Debbie doesn't like strangers.
So, you
saw what, a ghost?
I thought I was
losing my mind.
Then later I learned that Amelia
had died in an accident
in your basement.
I told your mother about
my experience with Debbie.
She thought it was crazy.
And after that she wouldn't
let me see you again.
You hypnotized me.
You watch too many movies-
- You hypnotized me
to make me forget.
That's not normal
memory repression.
Rodger.
- Undo it.
- I don't know how.
You made me forget, okay?
You can make me remember.
Whatever this thing
is if it exists,
it might've killed my sister.
I don't think so.
Your father told me
that Amelia complained
that Debbie disappeared
about a week before she died.
Dredging up those memories now
for you will only be worse.
You're gonna hypnotize
me or your husband's
gonna find out exactly
what you've been up to.
I'm sorry you had
to find out like this,
but please don't ruin my
marriage because of your anger.
Ruin you marriage?
You did that a long time ago.
Fine!
Sit down.
But I should warn you
there's no guarantee
this is going to work.
Close your eyes.
Listen to the ticking...
Of the grandfather clock.
Let me out.
Everybody say cheese.
Cheese.
Nice, just one more.
Rodger.
This is called an equation.
How do you cast your equation?
A physicist applies an
equation to the laws of physics.
Let me out.
How do you feel?
I'm uh, I'm okay.
I don't really
remember anything more
than I did before though.
It can take days.
Sometimes many
sessions of this nature
to unlock your memory.
Sometimes it
doesn't work at all.
The human mind has
allowed these memories
to be locked away from their
owner for a reason after all.
Sorry.
Hey.
Hey, you need to come home.
Like now.
Why, just tell
me over the phone.
Okay, no, all right.
I'm coming home.
Okay, there's two videos
in the encrypted file.
The first isn't
the most.
Well, we'll just start
at the beginning, okay?
You ready?
Go.
Over the last few days,
some weird things
have been going on.
I swear I keep seeing
someone in the house,
but when I go to check
it out, no one's there.
This is the third time this
week that I've picked these up.
Shut it off.
Jordan, what, what is-
- Just wait.
After all the
things I've seen in this house,
you came to mind, Rodger.
And I don't know if you
really remember this,
but 12 years ago we, we took
you to see a psychiatrist.
You had an imaginary friend.
We didn't think it was real.
But now I know you
weren't making it up.
And I think she's back.
Rodg, I think there's a naked
murder ghost in your house.
Right.
I think there's some things
I should probably tell you.
So, you believe
in hypnosis now?
Yeah, I guess so.
But you are the
last person on earth
who would believe in hypnosis.
I concluded this at that kegger,
remember the one that
Steve Gutenberg showed up
to at 3:00 a.m. and
you said, I quote,
"I am the last person on earth
who would believe in hypnosis."
Look, I don't even know
if it's really worked.
Everything I've seen so far
is stuff I already remembered.
So?
Demon ghosts?
Demon ghosts.
Right, where's the kerosene?
Nuke it from orbit?
Only way to be sure.
Okay, well, we're
not doing that.
And I'm not leaving.
- You're not leaving?
- Yeah.
You're not fucking leave?
Of course you're not leaving.
Whatever this thing is it
probably lead to my dad's death.
I think and I bet
that it had probably
had something to do
with Amelia's, too.
So, I can't go.
All right.
We'll stay.
No, Jordan,
that was not an invitation-
- I'm not leaving you alone in
this house with Lady Imhotep.
Jordan, you don't
have to do that-
- Well, I am.
We aren't going anywhere
in this house alone, okay?
Buddy system all the way.
I gotta take a dump?
Well, buddy, buckle up,
you're coming to Stinker Town.
- Oh, geez.
- Oh, you know what else?
We should get cat bells.
So, if one of us falls asleep
and she tries to
snatch the other one,
- she can't because cat bells.
- Cat bells.
Well, we're not
gonna do cat bells.
We're just gonna
stick very close
together and sleep in shifts.
How about that?
So, where has this Debbie
been the last 12 years?
It's over, I
called off the people.
I feared whatever was
in there went away.
- It might be infections.
- Whoa.
- I'm trying-
- No, we're leaving.
The door is locked.
Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!
Rodger, you
know you're not supposed
to come down here
when I'm working.
Being a scientist is
like being a wizard.
Why's that?
You're writing
spells like Merlin.
Sort of.
This is called an equation.
You should ask
your dad about it.
I have to get back to work.
Hey.
You good?
You have a nightmare?
No, I think it was a memory.
I was in the basement
when I was a kid,
my mom moved out of
the way and in between
the whiteboards was
this bloody face.
And that's a memory?
Yeah, I think so.
I mean, maybe it was a
dream, but it seemed real.
It seemed like I had
been there before.
Okay, so, every
time you fall asleep
memories are coming back?
That would seem to
be the going trend.
What's this?
These sleeping pills
should knock you out
in about a half an hour.
I'm gonna take the caffeine
pill so I can stay awake
while you are
unlocking the mystery.
Jordan, nothing says
that I'm gonna remember
something every
time I fall asleep.
I'm all ears
for a better plan.
You know, my mom was
never the best parent
before Amelia died.
But after, she was
worse to dad an I.
She was consumed by this
anger, her equations,
and definitely her booze, but...
I don't know, even
after all that
I still missed
her when she died.
I never wanted
to ask you this.
But you always
say that she died.
She just disappeared.
They never found her body.
Wherever she was, she died.
Sure, I could easily see
her leaving dad and I,
especially after the affair,
but she never would
have left her work.
This stuff was way
too important to her.
So you think that
creature killed her, too?
Maybe.
So, it killed one member
of your family, maybe two,
possibly even three.
What are we doing here, Rodger?
If it killed my family,
then I have to kill it.
And you know how to do that?
No.
Yeah, I know it doesn't seem
like it, but I am scared.
Whatever happens,
I've got you.
This would be a fabulous
time for Beth to come back.
Well, I'm glad it's
you who's here with me.
Me, too.
God, how am I
falling asleep already?
- Hey, Dad?
- Yeah?
I'm gonna leave the light on.
Everything'll be fine, Rodger.
I'll be back soon when I'm
done grading some papers, okay?
No, I need the light to read.
Okay.
"'But never use that
spell, young apprentice,'
cautioned Merlin.
'Even in 30 years
time if you become
a master sorcerer yourself.'
'Why?'
Merlin responded,
'Because that opens a gate
that'll send you to
the Netherworlds.'"
Rodger!
Fuck.
Opens a gate to
the Netherworlds.
Okay.
Horror Vacui.
Fuck me.
There you are.
Why didn't you wake me up?
You had another memory.
What?
Just a bunch of
little tiny snippets.
And?
I don't know, I still
can't put together
anything substantial,
but I remember the ghost.
It was in my bed as a kid.
How are we not halfway
back to campus right now?
And what's all this stuff?
I think this has
something to do
with what's going on here.
I didn't um, I didn't
ask you about your dad.
You watched a video
of him being killed
and I didn't even
check in with you.
What are you talking
about, the curtain video?
Yeah.
He didn't die there, they...
They found him at the
top of the stairs.
What?
Rodger, wait up.
Where are you?
Rodger, are you okay?
It's not gone.
How do you know?
Because it doesn't
just go away.
Jordan!
Harlot.
Harlot.
Let her go!
Are you okay?
Physically?
So that's your friend
from the shower?
Yeah.
Come on.
All right, the videos we
found on my dad's computer
he took with his phone.
On the night he
died he called 911.
Yeah.
I'm assuming there's
another video on here.
Okay.
You've got some
strong coffee to make.
I got me some work to do.
Check.
This shouldn't
take much longer.
Yeah.
I'm sorry this is
happening to you.
You've already had to go
through so much in your life.
Yeah.
You know I'm always
here for you, right?
I love you.
There's something wrong
with the flow of this equation.
I just keep coming back to it.
Oh, shit.
My mom, she created a
formula for time travel.
No, it's the ghost.
Is this your mom?
Rodger.
Rodger.
I think maybe we should
get some coffee in you.
Horror Vacui.
Do you know what that means?
Abhors a vacuum.
When you lose the most
precious thing in your life,
while your father is
off fucking some whore.
That's what you're left with.
The emptiness.
The vacuum.
That's a fucking horror.
The equation was
supposed to send her back.
There's this one part, this
part right here that's wrong.
When she applied the formula
to whatever she created
it didn't just send
her back in time.
It must've slit her between
the past and the future,
in our present.
This is bananas.
Did we take ayahuasca?
Listen to me, okay?
The ghost first showed up
when I was eight years old.
My mom vanished when I was 14.
That's six years.
She's only reappearing
now that I'm 20.
That's another six years.
So, my mom must have
traveled in time
six years both
backwards and forwards.
I think her essence
was trying to tell me
that when I was a kid.
I don't understand.
Let me show you.
Get this, my mom time traveled
from this point six years ago.
If I got my dates correct
then she went back
to a couple days
before Amelia's death.
She tried to stop it.
The problem was she didn't start
moving forward in
time at the point.
She kept moving backwards
down the time stream.
Because her essence
had arrived here
in present day probably
about three weeks ago.
That's why I saw
her in the shower
doing the exact
thing I saw as a kid.
She's, Jordan, she's
living the same life
moving in two different
directions down the time stream.
- Whoa.
- Yeah.
So, you saw your
mom in the shower?
Don't, don't!
Oswald Dultrar.
Is she trying to say adulterer?
She said that to me after
she pulled you down the stairs.
You think she thinks I'm my dad?
You do look a
lot like pictures
of your dad when he was younger.
I just don't understand.
Is she a ghost?
'Cause sometimes she's solid
and sometimes she's not.
- Why?
- When you split in time
like that it's
gotta be difficult
for her to keep her
body and mind sound.
Kinda like tuning a dial
to find a radio station.
Eventually you find
a strong frequency,
but then you pass
back into static.
She was there when I
was kid in the house,
she was just inside out.
This is so messed up.
Yeah, this is so messed up.
My mom messed up.
I just don't understand
how she coulda
made this kinda mistake.
Well, she was drinking a lot.
Yeah, maybe, but...
So, what are we gonna do?
Build a time machine?
Yeah, we send her back.
What could possibly go wrong?
Mom?
You were supposed to drive me
to the mall to meet Jordan.
Mom, I was supposed to
be there 40 minutes ago.
I'm playing with
my new friend.
Amelia, she's not your friend.
Sure she is.
We're playing hopscotch.
It's my turn.
- Get down!
- No, we like to play up here.
If I keep doing it
maybe she'll come back.
You shouldn't be up
there, it's dangerous.
Rodger, why won't
she come back?
I miss her.
Just get down before
you kill yourself.
Shit!
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Oswald Dultrar-
- You fucking killed
Beth, you fuck.
Jordan, Jordan,
come on, wake up.
We gotta go.
My mom killed Beth.
- We gotta go.
- What?
We gotta go now!
Hey.
I know you feel like you
have to do something.
We made the right
decision by leaving, okay?
Yeah, you're right.
I'm gonna go get some coffees.
Got a long night ahead of us.
Okay.
Okay.
You piece of shit.
I know, I'm sorry,
but you did say I think
we're making the
right move by leaving.
I meant both of us, jackass.
Yeah, Jordan, I know,
but I needed to get you
outta there to keep you safe.
All right?
What are you looking at?
You did it, didn't you?
Almost.
It doesn't quite
yet though, it's-
- It's, it's a
compatibility issue.
You're using newer cables.
You need to use old
cables like your mom did.
Try it.
Just don't hang up.
Stay on the phone with me.
All right, but I
need my hands for this,
so you're going dark.
Have you seen her again?
Not yet.
Have you figured out what
you're gonna do when it happens?
Yeah, I think so.
I mean, I certainly hope so.
You
really are smarter
than all of us, aren't you?
Yeah, yet I'm still the
one here in this house.
You're not
gonna die on me, are you?
You know the best
memories I have in my life
are from the tree
house that day.
- Jordan.
- Yeah, me too.
Rodger, what is going on?
Oswald Dultrar.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Rodger, are you okay?
She
keeps phasing out.
I can't track her.
Please, Rodg,
just get outta there.
It's, it's too dangerous.
It's
too unpredictable.
- It's like-
- It's like I need to know
where she's gonna
be before she...
You
did it didn't you?
Close, the best
memories I have in my life
are in the tree house that day.
I know you feel
like you have to do something.
You fucking killed Beth,
you fuck.
Oswald Dultrar.
Get off!
Jordan!
No!
So I said, this is
Tinder, not the Laugh Factory.
Go find somewhere else.
I am sexually liberated.
Help!
No!
I was wanting to get
the file for Amelia.
When you lose the most
precious thing in your life.
I'm playing
with my new friend.
Why are you hands cold?
Rodger has my pinwheel.
Mom, can I
go to Isla's tonight?
We'll see.
- Mommy.
- How's my beautiful girl?
Rodger has my pinwheel.
Boys don't play
with pinwheels.
Rodger.
Amelia, come keep mommy company
while she does
some calculations.
Rodger, I'll come
check on you in a bit.
Rodger, boys don't
play with pinwheels.
Rodger.
Hey.
We've got a long
drive ahead of us.
If we wanna make it to
Pritchard before nightfall,
we've gotta leave soon.
Jordan's packing the car.
Yeah.
Okay, guys, keep your
eyes open for a gas station
'cause I need fuel
in the form of like
five to 10 pepperoni sticks.
Well, I think you
are out of luck.
I'm pretty sure there
is no gas station
between here and my house.
Well, how about a
couple road rockets, huh?
Beer me, Beth.
What?
Beer me.
We don't have any beer.
Beer him too, 'cause
he just crushed two weeks
of homework since Westport.
- That is true.
- And Jordan,
- we don't have any beer.
- It's a hot day.
And you know what sounds
great on a hot day?
- An IPA.
- Is this a bit right now?
Is she doing a bit because
like we don't have any beer,
let alone an IPA.
Well, look at this
there's a gas station.
So, that's fortuitous.
Now we're talking.
Yeah, go ahead and get
your pepperoni sticks.
Think they have IPA?
They
probably have IPA.
Hey, babe,
can I give you a hand?
Nah, it's okay.
Jordan's got it.
Already on it.
Welcome to my humble abode.
Hm, my abode.
Same thing.
Yeah, pretty much, actually.
This is all yours now, hey?
Yeah, I guess.
I haven't seen the will, but.
You're right.
They should probably have
left the house to me.
I'm thinking if we put
the jacuzzi right here
in the living room
that'd be really nice
and that's kind of like what
your dad would have wanted.
Yeah, I'm pretty
sure you're right.
Hey, I just
realized something.
We are orphan buddies now, huh?
Hm?
No?
Anyone hungry?
- Always.
- Yes.
You guys
want some sandwiches?
Eh.
So, did your dad,
- did it happen here?
- I don't know.
I'll ask the lawyer when I
go meet him in the morning.
So, it could've happened here.
Or in the living
room or his bedroom.
Oh, where are we sleeping?
'Cause I am not
sleeping in his bed.
Oh, good point.
I don't really wanna
sleep in there either.
Look, we will take my room,
you can have Amelia's old room.
It's still setup?
Yeah, my mom wouldn't let
us touch it after she died.
It might be a little dusty, but.
I can handle
dusty, that's fine.
It's just the creepy factor
I've got a little bit
of a problem with.
Well, then I think
you're fresh outta beds.
Great, I will take the couch.
Unless you guys had
like a family dog
that went teets up on it?
Jordan, thanks for coming.
No place I would rather be.
Oh, thank you.
I will eat all of these
sandwiches to myself.
Beth, I just
wanted to thank you.
Oh, you don't have
to thank me, Rodg.
I know, but you
were excited for me
to meet your parents
over spring break.
Oh, there'll be plenty of
time to go to Hartford later.
I know, but I was
so looking forward
to throwing the pigskin
around with your dad.
- Oh, were you?
- Touchdowns.
- Mm hm.
- Yeah.
- Right.
- Absolutely.
Totally.
Sorry, clearly Jordan and I
have similar coping mechanisms.
Yeah, you do except
Jordan copes 24/7.
That's very true.
Sorry, it's just a weird time.
It's okay.
I get it.
And
yonder, I think he heels.
Not only in place of the final,
but maybe as well.
It's a new Stafford,
the connection-
And yonder, I think he heels.
Not only in place of the final,
but maybe as well.
Great.
If any of you dolls decide
to get up in the middle night
and crawl into bed with me,
I will twist your heads
off like bottle caps.
Consider yourself warned.
No.
No.
When is the
funeral service then?
Monday, 1:00 p.m.
at St. Michaels.
I'll clear my schedule.
Oswald was a good man.
He was a good friend.
He loved you very much.
I know.
You know he told me
once that he thought
you were smarter than
both him and your mother.
That's saying something.
He wouldn't have been surprised
if you graduated high school
two or three years early.
Yeah, well, I didn't.
Okay, well, I can get into
whatever specifics you'd like,
but to give you the gist of it,
he left everything to you;
a house, everything in it.
He'd accumulated quite
a substantial nest egg-
- Sorry, do you know what
happened to him, specifically?
The hospital said heart
attack, but he wasn't even 50.
All I know is
that they found him
at the top of the stairs
outside Amelia's room.
When we last spoke he did
seem distracted though.
He was almost manic.
And what do you mean by that?
He was very agitated.
He mentioned he had
discovered something.
But I didn't realize he
was that out of sorts.
No.
No, I don't think anyone did.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You know, if I knew that
your dad didn't have any porn
I would have gone to Fort
Lauderdale with the Tri-Lambs.
But don't worry, I took
care of that for you.
You're welcome.
Nice shirt, you look good.
I bet Max could not keep
his hands off of you.
All right, so
you want me to take
a look for the power
cord for the laptop?
Already charging.
That was fast.
Gotta find Ozzie's stash.
And that was gross.
You know where Beth is?
Uh, upstairs probably.
All right, I think that is
where I will be for a while.
Bye.
Hey.
Hey, what's up?
I was just talking
to my parents.
How'd it go?
It's fine, it was all right.
Oh.
I should have come with you.
No, no, don't sweat it.
The funeral's gonna be Monday.
Okay.
So, did you get the house?
Yeah.
Are you gonna keep it?
Maybe.
I mean, I'd be lying if
I said I hadn't thought
of some upgrades I would make.
Oh, you should
work on the drafts
because your sister's bedroom
door like shut super hard
and scared the shit out of me.
- Really?
- Yeah.
All right, we can
move rooms if you want.
No, no, no.
No, I like it in here.
All right.
Come on.
I'll be, uh,
I'll be right down.
Okay.
I am so sorry, Rodger.
It's just the two of us now.
So, we're gonna have to take
care of each other, okay?
Oh, no.
- Beth!
- Oh, God.
I found a photo
album and if you think
that Rodger is
strange looking now,
just you wait till you
see the preteen version.
I was born ready.
- Aw, so weird looking.
- Looks like a cute kid.
- Weird looking guy.
- It's cute!
You remember what
we did in there?
Stop it.
- Please.
- Mm hm.
Okay.
You throw it away.
Toss it.
Okay, let
me see these photos.
- Coffees.
- Thank you, ooh.
Thanks.
Aw.
You're so cute!
- Oh, he's not weird looking.
- Oh, God.
- Right?
- You're so cute.
Nothing strange about
that kid, look at that.
- No, just, just the face.
- Nothing.
Oh, look at that
littler super hero.
- Is that the basement?
- Yep.
I have never been down there.
My mom always said
it was off limits.
I mean, Amelia and I always
snuck down and played scientist.
So, I remember this one
time we got spanked so bad
'cause we messed up one
of my mom's equations.
She'd been working on
it for like months.
I think the only reason
she invited us down
in the lab this time was
because she just won a grant.
Wanted a photo of
the happy family
in front of her life's work.
Wait, is that a
head back there?
Yeah, Rodger's mom
collected severed heads.
Like she was a serial killer.
- Jordan.
- Beth?
Stop.
Well, she killed one person,
so I guess technically not a
serial killer, just a killer.
Amelia, take your
arms out please.
Thank you.
Okay, everybody say cheese.
Cheese!
All right, Rodger.
Your mom's been
gone for six years.
I think it's time for
a little catharsis.
Eh?
To the lab!
You guys trying to hide the
Ark of the Covenant in here?
I mean, it's a good plan.
Put it amongst all of this junk.
What's this for?
I don't know.
I'd have to spend
some time with it.
My mom was like
a physics genius.
- So are you.
- Oh.
But she did have about
20 years of study
on me when she wrote this.
So, yeah.
What the hell?
What is it, more
physics stuff?
It looks like some
psychiatrist reports on me.
When did you go
to a psychiatrist?
That is a good question.
I have zero memory
of any of this.
It looks like when
I was about eight.
Well, what do the reports say?
Well, I can't tell.
The doctor's
handwriting is horrible.
There's also a ton
of abbreviations.
Looks like around the time
when Amelia died though.
Jordan, do you remember anything
about me going to a shrink?
Jordan?
It's fine.
Jordan?
Seriously?
Ah!
Fuck.
I'm sorry, I had to.
- I'm sorry.
- Geez, Jordan.
Seriously, Jordan?
Beth, wait.
I thought it was funny.
No, I know it was funny.
That was funny, that's funny.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Look, I like Jordan, I do.
You know I do, but
sometimes she just
doesn't know when to stop.
I know, you're right.
Jordan has always been there
for me when no one else was.
- I know.
- There's been a lot of times
in my life I needed
someone to turn to,
and she was always there.
But now you have me.
Yeah and I am very lucky to
have both of you in my life.
What, but only one of us
- will be doing this.
- Oh.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
Oh, fuck.
Oh, my God!
Jesus, what?
- What?
- I saw something,
I thought I, I thought
I saw a shadow.
But.
Uh, would you be referring
to your own shadow?
I don't know, yeah, maybe.
I'm sorry.
- You scared?
- Yeah.
Huh.
What the fuck?
Oh, if this is an
invitation I'm afraid
I'll have to politely decline.
Jordan, did you
uh, sorry did you...
Did I?
Sorry, I thought
I saw something.
Maybe I was just falling
asleep in the shower.
Does that, does that
happen to people?
What do you think you saw?
I thought I saw a
person in there with me
and they starting speaking
with this messed up voice,
and then they disappeared.
It sounds, it
sounds pretty great.
I mean, I would get the voice
thing checked out, but nice.
So, how does it look?
Oh, I don't know.
I doubt these are my only
records from Dr. Henrietta Cox.
It's only a few pages here.
I'm assuming there's
gotta be more.
So, what is she writing about?
Don't know yet.
I'm not that far in,
but I wouldn't mind paying her a visit.
You should.
- Have a good run.
- Bye.
So, I said, listen dude,
this is Tinder not
the Laugh Factory.
Go find somewhere else to
practice your tight five.
Okay.
Poor guy caught you
at the wrong time.
Missed me by
like five minutes.
What are you
guys talking about?
I'm what you would call,
Rodg, how would you put it?
- I wouldn't put it-
- You know what?
Don't, yeah, don't.
I am sexually liberated.
Depending on the slant of the
wind I can be as buttoned up
as Jim Caviezel or as
loose as John Mayer.
That was weird.
Speaking of weird, I
found something strange
on your dad's laptop.
- Uh uh, oh, God no.
- No.
Whatever you found on
there, I don't wanna know.
- No, no!
- I don't wanna know about it.
- I don't wanna know about it.
- No!
Just keep it to yourself.
No, well there were
photos and files,
things that he had been writing
over the past couple years.
- And what's weird about that?
- Right, that's normal.
But I did find a file on
the desktop that's password
protected and I could open
it for you if you wanted.
Well, what
was the name of the file?
That's the thing,
it was called "Rodger"
and it was created right
around the time he died.
That is weird.
- Go for it.
- Cool.
What the hell?
Hey, did you hear that?
- No, what was it?
- Sounded like something fell.
It was probably
just the house settling
or Amelia's door
slamming shut again.
Did you reopen it?
I don't know, I must've.
Or Jordan passed out while
she was going to the bathroom.
- I'm sure it's nothing.
- All right.
Let me in.
Jesus!
What?
Rodg.
I coulda sworn someone
was in bed with us.
You wish.
- No, it-
- Come here.
All right.
Dr. Cox.
- How have you been?
- Oh, great.
Sorry, I, I, I
really have to run.
Bye, Grace.
I'll be right back, I
gotta talk to someone.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dr. Cox.
Can I help you?
You're Dr. Henrietta Cox.
No, sorry.
Sorry.
Dr. Cox, why are
you avoiding me?
I guess Oswald was wrong.
Your father said you blocked
out our sessions completely.
Why didn't you want
me to know who you were?
Decaf?
No, thanks.
And my father was
right by the way.
I don't remember you.
He just had one of your files.
I didn't want you
to know who I was
because I didn't
wanna stir things up.
Your father said you didn't
remember our sessions,
and I wanted to
leave it that way.
I shouldn't have
gone to that funeral,
but we were friends
and colleagues,
and I felt I should say goodbye.
Well, that's just it.
Why don't I have
any memory of you?
Please sit.
Memory repression whether
through natural processes
or otherwise can be
brought on to help forget
negative events one
has experienced.
I know my sister
died, I remember that,
but Dr. Cox, did...
Did I do something horrible?
Not to my knowledge.
Am I schizophrenic?
It was a consideration,
but the first signs
of schizophrenia usually
present themselves
in an individual's 20s, so you
would have been a rare case.
So, what was it?
I didn't get to
do a full analysis.
After a month, your mother
pulled you out of care.
Why did my parents bring
me here in the first place?
You have to
understand you weren't
really very talkative in our-
- Dr. Cox, please.
In simple terms?
You had an imaginary friend.
That's it?
A lot of kids have
imaginary friends.
But, Rodger, not many kids
are scared to death of theirs.
Can I read the
rest of the file?
I gave everything
I had to your father.
I really don't have
a lot to tell you.
I've had a ton of patients in
the last dozen or so years-
- Then just tell
me what you remember.
Just that you didn't
like to go into any room
if you thought she was in there.
Okay, well, which
rooms specifically?
Oh, geez.
Most of them.
I do remember after
one particular day
you couldn't go into
the bathroom anymore.
Rodger, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
- What happened?
- Nothing.
Would you ever
just consider that
it was 'cause my
sister had died?
You started seeing
it before she died.
But you did tell me that the
first time you saw your friend
you were in the backyard
with your sister.
That's my four o'clock.
Okay, you mind if I just
wait outside till it's over?
There's just a couple more
things I wanna talk to you about.
I have to go look after
my aunt, she's very sick.
I'm going to be on
leave indefinitely.
If you don't mind.
Rodger?
Are you home?
Jordan?
Who's there?
Who's there?
Ow!
Beth, are you okay?
Jesus.
What were you doing down here?
What were you doing?
I heard the door slam
and I called your name
and you didn't answer me.
- Sorry, I didn't hear you.
- Obviously.
Well, do you think
it's sprained or-
- No, it's just, it just hurts.
What were you looking for?
I went to Dr. Cox's office.
She told me she gave my
dad the rest of the files,
so I figured maybe
it was, I don't know,
packed up down here somewhere.
What else did she tell you?
Not much, she
doesn't really remember
anything about my case.
But do you wanna
help me look for it?
Well, I'd like to
bandage my wrist first.
- Right, of course-
- And I'm studying
for a biochem midterm, so.
Why, it's in like two weeks.
Because some of us aren't
second generation
Einstein's, Rodger.
There you guys are.
What's going on?
Beth, I can help
you find the bandage.
I got it.
So, trouble in paradise?
No, no, I was
just being stupid.
Sometimes I think I don't listen
to her as much as I should.
Hm.
Some people just aren't
dating material, you know?
Oh, and you are?
I think so.
I've had my share of
relationships, sure.
Yeah, I mean
there's a difference
between dating someone though
and swiping right on
every dude in the state.
I'm gonna go work on
that encryption thing.
Jordan, Jordan,
come on I didn't...
Come on, Jordan.
Jordan, I didn't
mean it like that.
Idiot.
What the hell?
What you doing?
Helping my ungrateful
friend crack an encryption.
For what reason?
I have no idea.
Sounds like a dick.
He is.
I, uh, got you
something though.
- Whirly?
- Yeah.
Where did you find this?
Just one of the
boxes downstairs.
Oh, God.
I thought this was a goner.
I loved this so much.
Hey, I'm sorry
for snapping at you.
I was being an idiot.
Hm, you are an idiot.
What are you doing?
I'm gonna go stay with
a friend for a few days.
Beth, I came up here
to apologize, okay?
You don't...
- Beth?
- Rodg, you lost your sister
and your mom and your dad was
all you had left and Jordan.
And now, with your
dad gone and.
Rodg, I see the way
that you look at her.
At some point a girl's gotta
start believing what she sees.
I don't know what
you think you saw, but-
- Look, I get that this
is a weird time for you.
Okay, I get that.
With your dad, with everything.
I just, I just think I'm gonna
head out for a day or two
and we could both use some
time to collect our thoughts.
Okay, well, I guess I'll see ya.
Yeah.
Hey, mom.
Your father is off
fucking some whore.
Beth just left.
- She left?
- Yep.
Like left, left?
I don't think we're
gonna be seeing her
until school next week.
What happened?
I don't know, I really
don't wanna talk about it.
All right, then
rather than focusing
on the enigma that
is a woman's heart,
why don't we tackle a
more manageable mystery.
If the rest of
your file was here
we would've found it already.
Backwash?
Okay.
Then tell me, where could it be?
Maybe she didn't
tell you the truth
about the rest of the file, hm?
- Dr. Cox?
- Mm hm.
So you think it's still there?
Unless she moved
it after your visit.
I mean, she's out of town.
If she was here then we
could talk to her about it.
Mm hm, but she's not.
So maybe we just
break into her office?
I don't think that's
the best option-
- Listen,
she hasn't been honest
with you from the
very beginning.
So, in my mind there's one way
we're gonna get what we want.
And that's a B and E?
- And that's a B and E.
- Mm hm.
It's fine, it's fine.
I'll do it myself.
Fine.
We will break into her office.
Do it as fast as you can.
Okay, don't rush me.
I think maybe a little
haste would be good.
I don't need haste.
I have wit and...
Bravo.
You're the man.
- Only flashlights in here.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I know.
Seriously?
I said I would
bring a flashlight.
How am I supposed to
know that it's dead?
Check.
You would check.
Just use your phone.
I know, I am.
Do you really think
you wanna go back?
You could just spend the
rest of the break with me
and I'll get you back
to school for Sunday.
No, I really think
that I was wrong.
Jordan is his best
friend and I got jealous.
I know how much
he cares about me,
and I really care about him.
Okay.
Well, if you change your
mind I'm here for you.
She said she was outta town.
She's got meetings
booked all week long.
I guess that sick
aunt of hers just got better.
Hm, a true miracle.
Your file, good sir.
Very well done.
Let's get outta here
before we get caught.
Hey, hey,
hey, that's a good idea.
I think a better idea
would be if we just
like really quickly
shit on her desk.
Who hurt you?
You're so close to
being cool all the time,
but you just never get there.
Hello?
Who's there?
Look, Jordan, this isn't funny.
Rodg?
Seriously?
Harlot.
Who are you?
What are you doing here?
Harlot!
No.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
No, no, no!
No, no!
No!
- Want some wine?
- Yeah, sure.
So, anything else about your
imaginary friend in there?
Yeah, this has got
everything I needed.
And some other stuff.
What is it?
Dr. Cox hypnotized me
to repress my memories.
Hm.
What?
She had a session
with my little sister
a week before she died.
Dr. Cox, we really need to talk.
This is the rest of my file.
I tried to find my sister's,
but it's not in any
of your drawers.
- I should call the police.
- Oh, please, be my guest.
What do you want?
I just wanna hear about
the rest of my sessions,
and now my sister's.
It's best if you just put all
this behind you and move on.
I have.
I'm sorry, you have?
It's just, it was
something like...
Listen, Ozzie and I
thought it would be better-
- Ozzie?
Only my mom called
my dad, Ozzie.
How, how close were you two?
We were.
- You fuck!
- No, you, Rodger,
I know this is upsetting.
Did your husband know about
your relationship with my dad?
Don't!
I want Amelia's file.
I don't have it.
- I burned in.
- Sounds great.
But I can tell you everything,
just please don't do this.
How do I know you're
gonna tell me the truth?
I give you my word.
But with I'm about
to say I don't expect
you to believe me anyway.
Over
the last few days,
some weird things
have been going on.
I swear I keep seeing
someone in the house,
but when I go to check
it out, no one's there.
This is the third time this
week that I've cleaned these up.
Shut it off!
Whoa.
Promise me you won't
talk to anybody about this.
I promise.
Your parents brought
you in to see me
around your eighth birthday.
They said you'd been extremely
agitated for a few days.
That was around the time your
imaginary friend showed up.
Obviously I believed
something else
was causing your anxiety.
But when you talked you would
only talk about your friend
and how that friend was starting
to gravitate towards Amelia.
I figured if I could
get her to admit
that she'd never
really seen your friend
then that might take some
of the pressure off you.
I also got the sense your mom
wasn't the best for you kids.
You must've read
that in the file.
Is that why you only gave
my dad half the folder?
No.
He knew what I thought of her.
I didn't get it
all to him because
I didn't want him
to ask me about it.
What I found with
you and Amelia,
it changes how one
perceives reality.
Could I talk to Amelia
alone for a moment?
She's very pretty.
Thank you.
Amelia, I'd like
to talk to you
about Rodger's imaginary friend.
Who's that?
The woman who's in
your house sometimes.
Debbie?
She's not imaginary.
Rodger's never called
her by a name before.
She's my friend, not Rodger's.
What can you tell
me about Debbie?
We play together.
She doesn't stay
very long though.
Why is Debbie not
Rodger's friend?
I don't know, she just
always want to play with me.
Why do you think that is?
Ask her.
Um, I would-
Debbie doesn't like strangers.
So, you
saw what, a ghost?
I thought I was
losing my mind.
Then later I learned that Amelia
had died in an accident
in your basement.
I told your mother about
my experience with Debbie.
She thought it was crazy.
And after that she wouldn't
let me see you again.
You hypnotized me.
You watch too many movies-
- You hypnotized me
to make me forget.
That's not normal
memory repression.
Rodger.
- Undo it.
- I don't know how.
You made me forget, okay?
You can make me remember.
Whatever this thing
is if it exists,
it might've killed my sister.
I don't think so.
Your father told me
that Amelia complained
that Debbie disappeared
about a week before she died.
Dredging up those memories now
for you will only be worse.
You're gonna hypnotize
me or your husband's
gonna find out exactly
what you've been up to.
I'm sorry you had
to find out like this,
but please don't ruin my
marriage because of your anger.
Ruin you marriage?
You did that a long time ago.
Fine!
Sit down.
But I should warn you
there's no guarantee
this is going to work.
Close your eyes.
Listen to the ticking...
Of the grandfather clock.
Let me out.
Everybody say cheese.
Cheese.
Nice, just one more.
Rodger.
This is called an equation.
How do you cast your equation?
A physicist applies an
equation to the laws of physics.
Let me out.
How do you feel?
I'm uh, I'm okay.
I don't really
remember anything more
than I did before though.
It can take days.
Sometimes many
sessions of this nature
to unlock your memory.
Sometimes it
doesn't work at all.
The human mind has
allowed these memories
to be locked away from their
owner for a reason after all.
Sorry.
Hey.
Hey, you need to come home.
Like now.
Why, just tell
me over the phone.
Okay, no, all right.
I'm coming home.
Okay, there's two videos
in the encrypted file.
The first isn't
the most.
Well, we'll just start
at the beginning, okay?
You ready?
Go.
Over the last few days,
some weird things
have been going on.
I swear I keep seeing
someone in the house,
but when I go to check
it out, no one's there.
This is the third time this
week that I've picked these up.
Shut it off.
Jordan, what, what is-
- Just wait.
After all the
things I've seen in this house,
you came to mind, Rodger.
And I don't know if you
really remember this,
but 12 years ago we, we took
you to see a psychiatrist.
You had an imaginary friend.
We didn't think it was real.
But now I know you
weren't making it up.
And I think she's back.
Rodg, I think there's a naked
murder ghost in your house.
Right.
I think there's some things
I should probably tell you.
So, you believe
in hypnosis now?
Yeah, I guess so.
But you are the
last person on earth
who would believe in hypnosis.
I concluded this at that kegger,
remember the one that
Steve Gutenberg showed up
to at 3:00 a.m. and
you said, I quote,
"I am the last person on earth
who would believe in hypnosis."
Look, I don't even know
if it's really worked.
Everything I've seen so far
is stuff I already remembered.
So?
Demon ghosts?
Demon ghosts.
Right, where's the kerosene?
Nuke it from orbit?
Only way to be sure.
Okay, well, we're
not doing that.
And I'm not leaving.
- You're not leaving?
- Yeah.
You're not fucking leave?
Of course you're not leaving.
Whatever this thing is it
probably lead to my dad's death.
I think and I bet
that it had probably
had something to do
with Amelia's, too.
So, I can't go.
All right.
We'll stay.
No, Jordan,
that was not an invitation-
- I'm not leaving you alone in
this house with Lady Imhotep.
Jordan, you don't
have to do that-
- Well, I am.
We aren't going anywhere
in this house alone, okay?
Buddy system all the way.
I gotta take a dump?
Well, buddy, buckle up,
you're coming to Stinker Town.
- Oh, geez.
- Oh, you know what else?
We should get cat bells.
So, if one of us falls asleep
and she tries to
snatch the other one,
- she can't because cat bells.
- Cat bells.
Well, we're not
gonna do cat bells.
We're just gonna
stick very close
together and sleep in shifts.
How about that?
So, where has this Debbie
been the last 12 years?
It's over, I
called off the people.
I feared whatever was
in there went away.
- It might be infections.
- Whoa.
- I'm trying-
- No, we're leaving.
The door is locked.
Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!
Rodger, you
know you're not supposed
to come down here
when I'm working.
Being a scientist is
like being a wizard.
Why's that?
You're writing
spells like Merlin.
Sort of.
This is called an equation.
You should ask
your dad about it.
I have to get back to work.
Hey.
You good?
You have a nightmare?
No, I think it was a memory.
I was in the basement
when I was a kid,
my mom moved out of
the way and in between
the whiteboards was
this bloody face.
And that's a memory?
Yeah, I think so.
I mean, maybe it was a
dream, but it seemed real.
It seemed like I had
been there before.
Okay, so, every
time you fall asleep
memories are coming back?
That would seem to
be the going trend.
What's this?
These sleeping pills
should knock you out
in about a half an hour.
I'm gonna take the caffeine
pill so I can stay awake
while you are
unlocking the mystery.
Jordan, nothing says
that I'm gonna remember
something every
time I fall asleep.
I'm all ears
for a better plan.
You know, my mom was
never the best parent
before Amelia died.
But after, she was
worse to dad an I.
She was consumed by this
anger, her equations,
and definitely her booze, but...
I don't know, even
after all that
I still missed
her when she died.
I never wanted
to ask you this.
But you always
say that she died.
She just disappeared.
They never found her body.
Wherever she was, she died.
Sure, I could easily see
her leaving dad and I,
especially after the affair,
but she never would
have left her work.
This stuff was way
too important to her.
So you think that
creature killed her, too?
Maybe.
So, it killed one member
of your family, maybe two,
possibly even three.
What are we doing here, Rodger?
If it killed my family,
then I have to kill it.
And you know how to do that?
No.
Yeah, I know it doesn't seem
like it, but I am scared.
Whatever happens,
I've got you.
This would be a fabulous
time for Beth to come back.
Well, I'm glad it's
you who's here with me.
Me, too.
God, how am I
falling asleep already?
- Hey, Dad?
- Yeah?
I'm gonna leave the light on.
Everything'll be fine, Rodger.
I'll be back soon when I'm
done grading some papers, okay?
No, I need the light to read.
Okay.
"'But never use that
spell, young apprentice,'
cautioned Merlin.
'Even in 30 years
time if you become
a master sorcerer yourself.'
'Why?'
Merlin responded,
'Because that opens a gate
that'll send you to
the Netherworlds.'"
Rodger!
Fuck.
Opens a gate to
the Netherworlds.
Okay.
Horror Vacui.
Fuck me.
There you are.
Why didn't you wake me up?
You had another memory.
What?
Just a bunch of
little tiny snippets.
And?
I don't know, I still
can't put together
anything substantial,
but I remember the ghost.
It was in my bed as a kid.
How are we not halfway
back to campus right now?
And what's all this stuff?
I think this has
something to do
with what's going on here.
I didn't um, I didn't
ask you about your dad.
You watched a video
of him being killed
and I didn't even
check in with you.
What are you talking
about, the curtain video?
Yeah.
He didn't die there, they...
They found him at the
top of the stairs.
What?
Rodger, wait up.
Where are you?
Rodger, are you okay?
It's not gone.
How do you know?
Because it doesn't
just go away.
Jordan!
Harlot.
Harlot.
Let her go!
Are you okay?
Physically?
So that's your friend
from the shower?
Yeah.
Come on.
All right, the videos we
found on my dad's computer
he took with his phone.
On the night he
died he called 911.
Yeah.
I'm assuming there's
another video on here.
Okay.
You've got some
strong coffee to make.
I got me some work to do.
Check.
This shouldn't
take much longer.
Yeah.
I'm sorry this is
happening to you.
You've already had to go
through so much in your life.
Yeah.
You know I'm always
here for you, right?
I love you.
There's something wrong
with the flow of this equation.
I just keep coming back to it.
Oh, shit.
My mom, she created a
formula for time travel.
No, it's the ghost.
Is this your mom?
Rodger.
Rodger.
I think maybe we should
get some coffee in you.
Horror Vacui.
Do you know what that means?
Abhors a vacuum.
When you lose the most
precious thing in your life,
while your father is
off fucking some whore.
That's what you're left with.
The emptiness.
The vacuum.
That's a fucking horror.
The equation was
supposed to send her back.
There's this one part, this
part right here that's wrong.
When she applied the formula
to whatever she created
it didn't just send
her back in time.
It must've slit her between
the past and the future,
in our present.
This is bananas.
Did we take ayahuasca?
Listen to me, okay?
The ghost first showed up
when I was eight years old.
My mom vanished when I was 14.
That's six years.
She's only reappearing
now that I'm 20.
That's another six years.
So, my mom must have
traveled in time
six years both
backwards and forwards.
I think her essence
was trying to tell me
that when I was a kid.
I don't understand.
Let me show you.
Get this, my mom time traveled
from this point six years ago.
If I got my dates correct
then she went back
to a couple days
before Amelia's death.
She tried to stop it.
The problem was she didn't start
moving forward in
time at the point.
She kept moving backwards
down the time stream.
Because her essence
had arrived here
in present day probably
about three weeks ago.
That's why I saw
her in the shower
doing the exact
thing I saw as a kid.
She's, Jordan, she's
living the same life
moving in two different
directions down the time stream.
- Whoa.
- Yeah.
So, you saw your
mom in the shower?
Don't, don't!
Oswald Dultrar.
Is she trying to say adulterer?
She said that to me after
she pulled you down the stairs.
You think she thinks I'm my dad?
You do look a
lot like pictures
of your dad when he was younger.
I just don't understand.
Is she a ghost?
'Cause sometimes she's solid
and sometimes she's not.
- Why?
- When you split in time
like that it's
gotta be difficult
for her to keep her
body and mind sound.
Kinda like tuning a dial
to find a radio station.
Eventually you find
a strong frequency,
but then you pass
back into static.
She was there when I
was kid in the house,
she was just inside out.
This is so messed up.
Yeah, this is so messed up.
My mom messed up.
I just don't understand
how she coulda
made this kinda mistake.
Well, she was drinking a lot.
Yeah, maybe, but...
So, what are we gonna do?
Build a time machine?
Yeah, we send her back.
What could possibly go wrong?
Mom?
You were supposed to drive me
to the mall to meet Jordan.
Mom, I was supposed to
be there 40 minutes ago.
I'm playing with
my new friend.
Amelia, she's not your friend.
Sure she is.
We're playing hopscotch.
It's my turn.
- Get down!
- No, we like to play up here.
If I keep doing it
maybe she'll come back.
You shouldn't be up
there, it's dangerous.
Rodger, why won't
she come back?
I miss her.
Just get down before
you kill yourself.
Shit!
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Oswald Dultrar-
- You fucking killed
Beth, you fuck.
Jordan, Jordan,
come on, wake up.
We gotta go.
My mom killed Beth.
- We gotta go.
- What?
We gotta go now!
Hey.
I know you feel like you
have to do something.
We made the right
decision by leaving, okay?
Yeah, you're right.
I'm gonna go get some coffees.
Got a long night ahead of us.
Okay.
Okay.
You piece of shit.
I know, I'm sorry,
but you did say I think
we're making the
right move by leaving.
I meant both of us, jackass.
Yeah, Jordan, I know,
but I needed to get you
outta there to keep you safe.
All right?
What are you looking at?
You did it, didn't you?
Almost.
It doesn't quite
yet though, it's-
- It's, it's a
compatibility issue.
You're using newer cables.
You need to use old
cables like your mom did.
Try it.
Just don't hang up.
Stay on the phone with me.
All right, but I
need my hands for this,
so you're going dark.
Have you seen her again?
Not yet.
Have you figured out what
you're gonna do when it happens?
Yeah, I think so.
I mean, I certainly hope so.
You
really are smarter
than all of us, aren't you?
Yeah, yet I'm still the
one here in this house.
You're not
gonna die on me, are you?
You know the best
memories I have in my life
are from the tree
house that day.
- Jordan.
- Yeah, me too.
Rodger, what is going on?
Oswald Dultrar.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Rodger, are you okay?
She
keeps phasing out.
I can't track her.
Please, Rodg,
just get outta there.
It's, it's too dangerous.
It's
too unpredictable.
- It's like-
- It's like I need to know
where she's gonna
be before she...
You
did it didn't you?
Close, the best
memories I have in my life
are in the tree house that day.
I know you feel
like you have to do something.
You fucking killed Beth,
you fuck.
Oswald Dultrar.
Get off!
Jordan!
No!
So I said, this is
Tinder, not the Laugh Factory.
Go find somewhere else.
I am sexually liberated.
Help!
No!
I was wanting to get
the file for Amelia.
When you lose the most
precious thing in your life.
I'm playing
with my new friend.
Why are you hands cold?
Rodger has my pinwheel.
Mom, can I
go to Isla's tonight?
We'll see.